2024 Madrid ATP 1000 preview
Once again, Madrid has become the center of attention in the world of tennis.
As the second ATP Masters 1000 of the year on clay, Madrid represents an essential event in the preparation for the French Open.
For the second consecutive year, this tournament is held in two weeks with individual draws including 96 tennis players. This year the tournament will break the barrier of 15 million euros in prizes, establishing a financial commitment of €7,679 ,695 per circuit. In this new scale, with equal prizes in men’s and women’s categories, the individual champions will fight for a check of €963,225 – the largest prize distributed for a tennis tournament in Spain.
The main draws in the men’s tournament were configured this Monday with the help of the player Jaume Munar in charge of distributing luck in the draw with the presence of Feliciano López as tournament director and other leaders.
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This edition could be very special due to the participation and possible farewell of Rafael Nadal. Nadal, winner of the tournament five times (2005, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2017), is in a period of preparation for his best physical condition with the aim of participating in his favorite tournament – the Roland Garros 2024.
Due to the multiple injuries suffered in recent times, everything suggests that the Spanish tennis player wants to retire in front of his fans in the best possible way and that may happen soon.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner reappeared last week in Barcelona, where he reached the second round and now hopes to continue his progress in the first round against the promising 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch. If he wins, he’ll have to face the Australian Alex de Minaur again, who fired him from Conde de Godó.
The defending men’s titleist Carlos Alcaraz will open his clay court season at the MMOPEN seeking to be the first tennis player capable of lifting the trophy three consecutive times at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
The Spaniard, this year’s champion of the Indian Wells Masters 1000, already knows his roadmap in the draw. The second seed will also make his debut against the winner between the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and the Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko.
Given the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner becomes the first seed in the tournament. The Italian’s great start this season, conquering Melbourne and Miami, is his main endorsement in the Spanish capital after reaching the semifinals, also on clay, in Monte Carlo.
The current ATP No.2 awaits a rival for his debut. This will come from the duel between his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego and a tennis player to be determined during the previous phase.
To all this, high-caliber names will be added, such as the two-time tournament champion, Alexander Zverev and the presence of Stefanos Tsitsipas, recent winner of Monte Carlo. Casper Ruud, the finalist in Monaco and champion of, Barcelona. In addition to the talented Taylor Fritz, Hubert Hurkacz, Grigor Dimitrov, Andrey Rublev, and Daniil Medvedev.
This year the attending public will also be able to enjoy the talent of emerging players such as Holger Rune, junior champion of the Roland Garros 2019 who will make his second appearance in the tournament after reaching the third round last year.
Ben Shelton, who in some ways represents the North American hope, has reached the semifinals of the US Open and will surely become a candidate with a chance for the title, with his powerful serve and his explosive game.
Another player who is on the rise and is worth highlighting is Arthur Fils. French player who, at 19 years old, has been showing significant sustained progress, with wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas (Antwerp 2023) or Casper Ruud (Hamburg 2023).
The tournament is served. The 2024 edition of the Mutua Madrid Open begins. Enjoy the excellent tennis, the talent, and the atmosphere.
